Black-Bart

Who will be the Next Emperor?

With the Imperial Senate now in closed session, political commentator Marcus Macmillan takes a look at the likely candidates for the throne.
For political commentators, the varied landscape of Imperial politics provides plenty of intrigue to delve into, and this is particularly true of the Imperial throne. In theory, every member of the Duval family has an equal but invalid claim, and for those that lack the right blood there is always an opportunity for the right marriage. Doubtless many whispered deals of support and corresponding reward are being proposed between the senators to get their votes as we speak.
For traditionalists, the obvious candidate is Chancellor Anders Blaine. He has always been close to the Royal Family and is extremely well connected. When considering his history, however, it becomes clear that he prefers the guiding role of Chancellor, and would not consider himself the next Emperor, even though the next Emperor might not want Chancellor Blaine as their right-hand man.
Based on popularity among the masses, the ‘People’s Princess’ Aisling Duval is the obvious choice. Were it not for her father’s lack of marriage, and the recent declaration of his insanity by the late Emperor, her claim would have been the strongest, and centuries ago that would probably have been enough. She is young for the role, but that could work in her favour as many would like an Emperor with a potentially lengthy rule ahead of her. Her youth works against her in other respects, however, as all the other candidates far surpass her in experience. That being said, she is rumoured to have some powerful, unnamed people behind her.
Senator Arissa Lavigny-Duval was clearly the Emperor’s chosen heir, but without the marriage to Florence Lavigny being completed she cannot be legally considered so. However, as the illegitimate child of Hengist Duval she does have a suitable bloodline, just as strong as Aisling’s, and she enjoys the support of both Chancellor Blaine and the citizenry. Her popular support is not as strong as Aisling’s, but it is still significant, and more importantly she is respected in the Imperial Palace.
When considering potential rulers the powerful Senator Zemina Torval must always be included. She is a shrewd operator with extensive commercial interests, and also an avowed traditionalist, which provides her with solid support both in the Senate and among the wider population. She lacks the strong bloodline connection of other candidates, but does have some royal blood, and her strength in the Empire and in the Senate would put her in contention if she so chose.
The last candidate is Senator Patreus. His popular following is still strong, but beyond the inner circles of political life it has begun to weaken, particularly among free-thinking commanders. He wields considerable military and financial power, and his aggressive policies – based on conquest rather than taxation –are attractive to certain elements of the population. He is powerful in the Senate, and given that Senator Torval has indicated her support for him, he is still a contender. Speculation abounds that a marriage between Senator Patreus and Aisling or Arissa Duval would cement his position. He is a well-practiced operator, so he is one to keep an eye on.
The smart credits are on a two-horse race between Aisling Duval and Arissa Lavigny-Duval. In general terms little separates the two, so there is likely to be a lot of politicking over the next month to determine the winner.Update from Galnet News

Core Dynamics Unveils New Gunship

Core Dynamics has a long-running association with the Federation, having produced everything from the humble Eagle to the mighty Farragut Battle Cruiser for the Federal Navy. Their latest offering, the Federal Gunship, is a sturdy combat vessel designed to provide the Federation with a superior fighter escort.
The natural comparison point for the new Gunship is the Federal Dropship, which offers a similar balance of features, but with a total of seven external hardpoints – two small, four medium and one large – and advanced armour and shields, the Gunship boasts a stronger combat profile than the Dropship, as well as offering better internal hardpoint quality.
This combat superiority comes at a cost, however, as the ship has an inferior flight model to that of the Federal Dropship, with a top speed of 170 and a boost speed of 280. It is fair to say, however, that speed and manoeuvrability were probably not chief among the Federation’s concerns when the ship was designed. This is a vessel that has been created to dominate other ships, rather than outpace or outmanoeuvre them.
The Federal Gunship is expected to retail at 45,814,000 CR, and will be available to all pilots holding the rank of Ensign or above in the Federal Navy Auxiliary.Update from Galnet News

Chancellor Blaine Opens Senate Debate

With the sombre echo of Emperor Hengist Duval still resonating throughout Capitol, the Senate reopened today to deliberate how the question of succession will be resolved. Chancellor Anders Blaine opened the discussion:
“Without a clear line of succession, we have a solemn duty to decide who will rule the Empire in these fractious times. It is clear that our beloved Emperor wished for Senator Arissa Lavigny-Duval to become heir and so, when the time came, become Emperor. That time has now come, but the law does not allow us to honour his wishes. Instead, we must follow the rules set out for us by centuries of law and tradition.
“The Senate has one month to determine who will be the 16th ruler to sit on the Imperial throne. The candidate must be of royal blood or of royal marriage, and must have a clear majority backing of the Senate in the final count. The final tally will be taken on October the 5th.
“Personally, I would urge the senators present to consider the Emperor’s intentions carefully. I knew him well, and I know that everything he did was for the good of the Empire.”
The city has almost recovered from the massive influx of mourners, and the streets are once again clear of the press of humanity. Now the question on everyone’s lips is: who will be the next to occupy the Great Throne?Update from Galnet News

Memorial in the Heavens

Commander Sataris, a member of the East India Company, was recently honoured by an anonymous benefactor. To commemorate his mother’s recent passing, the rights to register a planet in her name were purchased from Universal Cartography.
Cynthia Sideris, chairwoman of Universal Cartography, read a statement from the anonymous benefactor:
“Commander Sataris has served with distinction, valour and honour in all his duties, regardless of the circumstances. In honour of his late mother, rights have been purchased to rechristen a world in the BD+26 2184 system as ‘Kathy McBrayer’. Any mother capable of rearing a son like Sataris is well deserving of such a memorial. Kathy is an example to us all.”
Commander Sataris responded by saying: “I invite all members of the Pilots Federation to visit the memorial planet Kathy McBrayer in BD+26 2184.”
Chairwoman Sideris said that Universal Cartography will finalize the change to the planet’s name in the coming weeks.
Commander Corrigendum
Jameson Memorial Review | Interstellar PressUpdate from Galnet News

Utopia: More Than a Cult?

Spokespeople for Utopia have responded to recent accusations that dissidents in systems under their control are being roughly treated.
“I’ve been saddened by recent publications that describe the Utopia movement as a cult or oppressive theocracy,” Utopia futurologist Dr Saeed McNamara said. “All societies have disruptive elements who threaten the stability of the whole, but I like to think we take a more humane approach to dealing with them than others.
“Rather than enslaving or oppressing disruptive elements, or shipping them off to penal colonies to break rocks for the rest of their lives, we introduce our problem citizens to revolutionary simulation technology designed to increase their empathy for their fellow men and women. Criminals and dissidents aren’t evil – they’ve just become disconnected from society. We’ve proved time and again that seeing the world through the eyes of others, through technology, can be a healing experience.”
Dr McNamara declined to elaborate further on the nature of Utopia’s corrective sims, or to address rumours that those subjected to these treatments manifest radically altered personalities.
Commander JendrassikUpdate from Galnet News

Emperor Hengist Duval’s Funeral

The funeral of Emperor Hengist Duval, the 15th Emperor in the Duval line, took place today amidst a crowd of millions on Capitol in the Achenar system.
Mourners from all over the Empire lined the streets of Capitol. All over the city, the streets were filled to bursting and in a sombre reflection of the wedding a month ago, the white dress uniforms of the Imperial Naval Infantry lined the streets.
In a last minute change to tradition, the funeral procession followed a longer route through the city so that as many of the assembled mourners as possible could witness the passing of their Emperor. The procession marched at a sedate pace and was led by selected members of the Imperial Guard carrying the Emperor.
In another break from tradition and despite her age, Florence Lavigny walked directly behind the coffin even though the marriage ceremony hadn’t been completed. This has raised eyebrows among some of the more conservative members of Imperial society.
Behind the lonely widow marched the immediate family and then the members of the Senate. Behind the most powerful senators came certain patrons, the most well-considered of their station with a direct connection to the Emperor. Next were the clients and citizens and, representing the full range of the Imperial population, these were followed by some of the Emperor’s favourite slaves – which by tradition were set free after the ceremony.
The procession stretched for almost 18 kilometres and took seven hours to complete its tour of the city. Soldiers along the route provided welcome refreshment for both the procession and the crowd. When the procession returned to the Hall of Martyrs, the senators followed inside for the private internment ceremony. Across the Empire, in households and public places, the Feast of Remembering began.
A sombre hush settled across the city for most of the day, but now that the Emperor has been laid to rest, the question everyone wants to know the answer to is – who will be the next Emperor?Update from Galnet News

The Hutton Mug

The words “I made it to Hutton Orbital” carry a certain amount of weight among pilots. As seasoned navigators know, the starport lies approximately 0.22 light years from the nearest star – a significant stretch by anyone’s standards – and it is not unusual for novice pilots, having failed to check the distance from Alpha Centauri to Hutton Orbital, to run out of fuel long before they reach the station.
Completing ‘The Hutton Run’, as the journey is sometimes called, is therefore a badge of honour among pilots, an achievement that distinguishes the amateur from the professional.
Now, a company called BlipMagnet has decided to capitalise on this phenomenon with the Hutton mug, a commemorative beaker bearing the legend (you guessed it) ‘I made it to Hutton Orbital’. The novelty item is available only at the starport, and the company no doubt hopes it will appeal to those who want to commemorate their epic journey.
BlipMagnet claims (presumably only half seriously) that the mug is made from “the salvaged frame shift drive plates of ships that ran out of fuel before reaching the station”. In fact, the company has issued an appeal for scrap materials with which to produce their next batch, and is offering anyone who delivers such materials their very own Hutton mug. Whether this will motivate those not normally inclined to undertake such punishing expeditions, or result in an epidemic of stranded pilots throughout the Alpha Centauri system, remains to be seen.Update from Galnet News

Core Dynamics Issues Statement Regarding Recent Controversy

Yesterday’s revelations from the Federal Times concerning an alleged connection between a high ranking member of the Core Dynamics board and the Highliner Antares incident have finally prompted an official response from the ship manufacturer.
“Core Dynamics takes the safety of space flight very seriously and would never deliberately act to jeopardise our own or any other corporations’ development. It is hard to accept that anyone from our company would act in such a manner. Given the gravity of the accusations the accused non-executive board member has agreed to step aside while we investigate. We have requested that the Federal Times share their information with us so that a full investigation into the matter can be carried out.”
Congressman George Fallside is the only named person in the article. When asked about the Congressman’s connection with the company and his apparent knowledge of the Vice President’s death before it had been announced the spokesman responded:
“Any impropriety by any member of the board will be fully investigated. I cannot comment on Vice President Nigel Smeaton’s death. My understanding it that has already been investigated by the relevant authorities.”
The Chief Editor for the Federal Times confirmed that they would share the information they had with the Sirius Corporation, Core Dynamics and appropriate law enforcement agencies.Update from Galnet News

Public Viewing of Emperor Hengist Duval Ceases

Today was the last day for the millions of mourners to pay their respects to the Emperor in the Hall of Martyrs. In the past month an estimated seven million mourners arrived on Capitol and have waited in line to enter the vestibule where the Emperor’s body has lain.
Of those millions fewer than half were able to actually see the Emperor despite the dedicated efforts of the Imperial Palace curators. Holographic shrines were placed along the queue of the people waiting, although some of the crowd complained that this broke tradition.
The queue reached such a size that the military had to be called in to maintain order from flashes of violence flaring up. Although apart from a few cases the offences were quite minor as befitting the sombre mood. Food, shelter and medical care also needed to be provided and many of the waiting people praised the efforts of the naval infantry.
For the rest of the day the troops will be busy again, this time clearing the route already filled with the waiting citizens in preparation for tomorrow’s funeral.Update from Galnet News

Core Dynamics has Links to VP’s Death?

In another shocking revelation the Federal Times today posted a story highlighting possible links between a non-exec member of the board of Core Dynamics and Vice President Nigel Smeaton’s death. They first referenced an interview on January 28th with Congressman George Fallside who appeared to have early knowledge of the Vice President’s death. The Congressman refused to comment on the article, but it is public knowledge of his non-executive directorship of Core Dynamics and several other major arms manufacturers.
More damning was the evidence concerning one of the crew of the Starship One, Flight Engineer Nick Baron, who had previously worked at Core Dynamics before joining the President’s Crew. From the information package sent by Elaine Boyd after her death, the Federal Times published extracts of financial records of the flight engineer.
When tracing these records through a convoluted series of transfers, one of these transfers was through a shell corporation , in which Congressman Fallside was involved. The trail of the payments revealed that Boyd must have obtained a high level clearance access, possibly provided by Agent Monroe.
When asked about today’s story, the Chief Editor for the Federal Times commented:
“There does appear to have been a conspiracy on several levels. We believe that the destruction of the Highliner Antares so many years ago may not have been an accident. When the Vice President was investigating the death of his relative, he must have discovered some of these details, and possible the dark forces killed him, and when our reporter Elaine Boyd did the same, she too was silenced. We are still not clear how it relates to the present day. Our reporters continue to investigate.
“At the Federal Times we always seek the truth and we will discover the truth here.”Update from Galnet News